On April 29, Foreign Deputy Minister of Ukraine Oleksandr Mischenko held another round of bilateral talks via videoconference with the Minister of State for Europe of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office of the United Kingdom Stephen Doughty.

Oleksandr Mischenko expressed gratitude to the United Kingdom for its comprehensive assistance to Ukraine in countering Russian aggression and addressing its consequences. He called on the British side to further strengthen its leadership role and support our country within the negotiation process aimed at achieving a just and lasting peace. At the same time, the Deputy Foreign Minister stressed that the red line for Ukraine remains the inadmissibility of concessions involving the transfer or loss of any part of the sovereign territory of our state.

The sides discussed the current state and prospects of the strategic partnership between Ukraine and the United Kingdom, emphasizing the importance of the swift ratification of the One Hundred Year Partnership Agreement, signed on January 16, 2025. The diplomats also stressed the need to resume the Strategic Partnership Dialogue at the leadership level this year to ensure effective coordination of bilateral political, defence and security, economic, and cultural-humanitarian cooperation. The interlocutors also discussed possible ways to intensify the bilateral dialogue on visa liberalization for certain categories of the Ukrainian citizens.

The sides paid special attention to expanding bilateral cooperation in defence and security, including the potential involvement of Ukraine in existing European cooperation formats. In this context, they discussed the upcoming Joint Expeditionary Force's leaders' summit (JEF includes ten Northern European and Baltic countries), scheduled for May 8–9, in Oslo, Norway. The sides discussed the current state and prospects of Ukraine’s cooperation with the JEF. Oleksandr Mischenko presented to the British side possible parameters of the Ukrainian practical contribution to the JEF’s activities.

The Deputy Minister also drew the interlocutor’s attention to the need for increased sanctions pressure on the Russian Federation and the redirection of frozen Russian assets in favour of Ukraine. He further highlighted the importance of preventing the aggressor state from using culture and the arts as tools for promoting propaganda and disinformation.

In response, Minister Stephen Doughty reaffirmed the United Kingdom’s unwavering support for Ukraine in repelling Russian military aggression and expressed the UK’s readiness to continue providing comprehensive assistance toward achieving a just peace and expanding areas of bilateral partnership. Minister Doughty acknowledged the UK government’s awareness of the threat posed by Russian propaganda and disinformation, as well as the using culture as a mean of promoting aggression. In this regard, he noted that the appropriate conclusions would be made by the British side.

The interlocutors agreed to hold the next consultations in the second half of June 2025.